André Campra (1660 – 1744) was a French composer and
conductor. He was the son of Giovanni Francesco Campra,
a surgeon and violinist from Graglia, Italy, and Louise
Fabry, from Aix-en-Provence. His father was his first
music teacher. He was baptised on 4 December 1660 in
the Église de la Madeleine in Aix. He became a
choirboy in the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur there in 1674
and commenced ecclesiastical studies four years later.
He was reprimanded by his superiors in 1681 for having
taken part ...(+)
André Campra (1660 – 1744) was a French composer and
conductor. He was the son of Giovanni Francesco Campra,
a surgeon and violinist from Graglia, Italy, and Louise
Fabry, from Aix-en-Provence. His father was his first
music teacher. He was baptised on 4 December 1660 in
the Église de la Madeleine in Aix. He became a
choirboy in the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur there in 1674
and commenced ecclesiastical studies four years later.
He was reprimanded by his superiors in 1681 for having
taken part in theatrical performances without
permission, but was nevertheless made a chaplain on 27
May of that year.
He served as maître de musique (music director) at the
cathedrals of Arles and Toulouse and then, from 1694 to
1700, served in a similar capacity at the cathedral of
Notre-Dame de Paris. Campra added violins to the
performance of sacred music at the Paris cathedral, a
controversial innovation in an era when they were
considered street instruments. He began to compose for
the theatre in 1697 and published some theatrical
compositions under his brother's name to protect his
reputation with church authorities. In 1700 he gave up
his post at Notre-Dame and devoted himself to
theatrical music with critical success. By 1705 he was
such a musical celebrity that he became a target for
negative articles in the press. In 1720, he adopted the
composition of sacred music as his only profession.
Although Campra had obtained critical success he lacked
financial security. In 1722 he was engaged briefly as
maître de musique by the Prince of Conti. After the
death of the regent Philippe d'Orléans in December
1723, Campra became sous-maître at the Royal Chapel in
Versailles. In 1730 he became the Inspecteur Général
at the Opéra (Royal Academy of Music). He died in
Versailles on 29 June 1744 at the age of 83.
Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in
the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and
Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote several tragédies en
musique and opéra-ballets that were extremely well
received. He also wrote three books of cantatas as well
as religious music, including a requiem.
Le carnaval de Venise (English: The Carnival of Venice)
is a comédie-lyrique in a prologue and three acts by
the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by
Jean-François Regnard. It was first performed on 20
January 1699 by the Académie royale de musique in the
Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris. Campra dedicated the
work to Louis, Grand Dauphin, heir apparent to the
French throne, who enjoyed it and had it staged again
in February 1711, shortly before his death. In one
critic's assessment: "In a magisterial act of
conflation, this composer blends the styles of Lully,
Lalande, Monteverdi and Cavalli and manages also to
foreshadow Handel and Rameau. He dreamt up a multi-hued
score, capable of recapturing in Paris both the
carnival spirit in general and that of the legendary
Venice in particular."
It was presented in July 1975 at the Aix-en-Provence
Festival, conducted by Michel Plasson. Jorge Lavelli
directed and the cast included Christiane Eda-Pierre,
Martine Dupuy, Bruce Brewer, and Roger Soyer and the
Boston Early Music Festival mounted a production in
June 2017. A recording with Hervé Niquet conducting Le
Concert Spirituel was released in 2011. Vocalists
included Salomé Haller, Marina De Liso, Andrew
Foster-Williams, Alain Buet, Mathias Vidal, Sarah
Tynan, Blandine Staskiewicz, and Luigi De Donato.
Gramophone called it "a performance to brighten up the
dullest mood".
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Campra)
Although originally written for Opera, I created this
Interpretation of "Air pour les arts" from "Le Carnaval
de Venise" (Prologue, Scène 3) for Woodwind Quintet
(Flute, Oboe, English Horn, French Horn & Bassoon).